Month: October 2013

Book Brief: Turning This Thing Around

Turning This Thing Around
by Keith Maginn
Genre: Nonfiction/memoir/self-help
Word count: 24,000

Turning This Thing Around is an inspiring memoir of overcoming personal struggles. This brutally honest, deeply personal account of redemption takes readers on a moving spiritual journey. Confronted with a myriad of obstacles–a debilitating arthritic disease, narcolepsy, anxiety and depression–the author was outwardly happy, but inwardly miserable.

Pushed to the lowest point of his life, Maginn shares how he gradually turned things around and used his experiences to grow as a person. Supplemented by heartfelt poetry by the author and with quotes from Gandhi to Dr. Wayne Dyer to Eckhart Tolle, Turning This Thing Around has universal themes that speak to nearly everyone, as we all must face challenges as part of being human. It is a self-help memoir of sorts: the author discusses not only what he overcame, but also how he did so–and how others can, too.

Unlike many popular memoirs on the market, this is a story that more people can relate to. Maginn was not raised in an eccentric family (Jeannette Walls in The Glass Castle, memoirs by Augusten Burroughs), nor did he travel to Italy, India and Indonesia, as Elizabeth Gilbert did in Eat, Pray, Love. Rather, Turning This Thing Around is a story of a normal young man’s resiliency when battling extraordinary circumstances.

This book is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Continue reading “Book Brief: Turning This Thing Around”

October Video Trailer of the Month

AwardHere in the Northern Hemisphere, October means cool nights and hot apple cider. It also means movies! So grab your favorite hot toddy and check out the book trailer videos we featured this past month. Now, you have the opportunity to let us know which one you liked best by voting for Trailer of the Month. Take a look and pick your favorite. No cash. No prizes. It’s all for the glory! Check ’em out for yourself by clicking the links! The contestants this month are:

Climbing Maya

The Fifth Empire

Class Action

Which video trailer do you think should win trailer of the month for October?

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Flash Fiction Challenge: The Dig

Photo by K.S. Brooks

It was our first dig as archaeological students. The terrain looked promising, and the three of us set to work under the close supervision of Professor Hamilton.

He was a bit of an odd duck, the professor. A lot of students had dropped his class. Behind those thick lenses, his eyes had a strangeness about them.

We had been digging for three days before we found a skull. We called the professor over as we examined it. Strangely, it was not fossilized. In fact, it didn’t seem to be very old at all. The right upper bicuspid was a gold crown.

It reminded me of the gold tooth Brendan Harper had. He was the archaeological student who disappeared three years ago on a dig. As I saw Professor Hamilton’s shadow looming over me, I felt a sudden chill…

In 250 words or less, tell us a story incorporating the elements in the picture. The 250 word limit will be strictly enforced.

Please keep language and subject matter to a PG-13 level.

Use the comment section below to submit your entry. Entries will be accepted until Tuesday at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. Continue reading “Flash Fiction Challenge: The Dig”

Congrats to A.V. Carden, Flash Fiction Star

Congrats to A.V. Carden, the readers’ choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge.

The winning entry is recognized with a special feature here today and a place in our collection of winners which will be published as an e-book at year end.

Without further ado, here’s the winning story:

Continue reading “Congrats to A.V. Carden, Flash Fiction Star”